This invention is directed to a device and a method for connecting a plurality of fuel injectors to a fluid rail.
In a conventional high-pressure fuel injector arrangement, hydraulic fluid is pressurized to about 3000 p.s.i. (20.7 MPa) while fuel pressure is pressurized to around 60 p.s.i. (0.414 MPa). The hydraulic fluid is used to pressurize the pre-pressurized fuel inside the injector for injection into an engine. The pressurized hydraulic fluid is supplied to the injectors by what is commonly known as a xe2x80x9cjumper tubexe2x80x9d between a hydraulic fluid rail and each of the injectors. The injectors are then directly mounted to the cylinder head of the engine.
In the conventional arrangement, the cylinder head of an engine may have 1 to 2 millimeters of movement while operating. Because of this movement, leakage and vibration-induced cracks is believed to develop in the jumper tubes or the fluid rail. Additionally, there is believed to be a pressure loss between the fluid rail and the injector when using these jumper tubes.
Thus, there is a strong need to overcome these and other problems associated with the conventional fuel injector""s fluid rail arrangement.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a device and a procedure to permit the mounting of the fuel injector to a hydraulic actuating fluid rail to overcome the disadvantages of the related art.
The present invention provides for a connector for communicating fluid between a fluid rail and a fuel injector, the connector comprising at least two tubular members adapted to be mounted telescopically, each tubular member having an interior surface facing an axis and an exterior surface, the tubular members defining distal ends, and at least one retaining member disposed between the tubular members and adapted to retain the tubular members in a preset configuration
The present invention further provides for a system for communicating fluid between a fluid rail and an injector, the system comprising a fluid rail, an injector, at least two tubular members adapted to be mounted in a nested configuration, each tubular member being in fluid communication with the fluid rail and the injector, and at least one retaining member disposed between the tubular members and adapted to retain the tubular members in a preset configuration.
The present invention additionally provides for a method of transferring fluid between a fluid rail and a fuel injector by providing at least two tubular members disposed telescopically to each other, each tubular member having an interior surface facing an axis and an exterior surface, the tubular members defining distal ends, by retaining the tubular members in a preset configuration, by transferring hydraulic fluid between one distal end to the other distal end, and by urging the tubular members apart to couple to both the fluid rail and the injector.